The Vatican Information Service is a news service, founded in the Holy See Press Office, that provides information about the Magisterium and the pastoral activities of the Holy Father and the Roman Curia...[+]

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Friday, November 14, 2014

Vatican City, 14 November 2014 (VIS) –
Today the Holy See Press Office published the programme for Pope
Francis' upcoming trip to Sri Lanka and the Philippines, scheduled
for 12 to 19 January 2015.

The Holy Father will depart from Rome's
Fiumicino airport on Monday, 12 January at 7 p.m. and will arrive in
Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, on Tuesday 13 at 9 a.m. Following
the welcome ceremony he will meet with the country's bishops at the
archbishop's residence, after which he will pay a courtesy visit to
the president of the Republic. The day will conclude with an
interreligious meeting at the Bandaranaike Memorial.

On Wednesday, 14 January, during a Mass
to be celebrated at 8.30 a.m. at the Galle Face Green, he will
canonise Blessed Joseph Vaz and will then transfer by helicopter to
the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary at Madhu. From there he will
proceed by helicopter to Colombo.

Thursday will begin with a visit to the
chapel of Our Lady of Lanka in Bolawalana, after which the Pope will
leave Sri Lanka and depart by air, at 9 a.m., for Manila, the capital
of the Philippines, where he will be officially received at 5.45 p.m.

On Friday, 16 January, Francis will pay
a courtesy visit to the president of the Philippines in the
presidential palace, followed by an address to the authorities and
the diplomatic corps. At 11.15 a.m. in the cathedral of the
Immaculate Conception he will celebrate Mass with bishops, priests
and consecrated persons. His final activity on Thursday will be an
encounter with families in the Arena Mall of Asia.

On Saturday, 17 January, the Pontiff
will transfer by air to Tacloban International Airport where he will
celebrate Mass, followed by and lunch with survivors of Typhoon
Yolanda. In the afternoon he will bless the Pope Francis Centre for
the Poor and will meet priests, consecrated persons, seminarians and
families of the typhoon survivors in the cathedral of Palo. He will
then return to Manila.

On Sunday, 18 January, he will meet
with the religious leaders of the Philippines at the St. Thomas
University of Manila and later with young people at the university
sports field. The day will conclude with a Mass celebrated in Rizal
Park.

On Monday, 19 January, the Pope will
conclude his trip, leaving from Manila at 10 a.m. The aircraft
carrying the Holy Father is expected to land in Rome's Ciampino
airport at 5.40 p.m.